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Cures Malaria: 1903
... mansard roof down the street to the left is Barnum's City Hotel, also lost in the fire. Both of these structures faced Baltimore Street, ... and faded into the background, appears to be The Belvedere Hotel, built in 1903 and still standing today. Knabe Hall Nice to see ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 7:52pm -

Maryland circa 1903. "Baltimore from Federal Hill." Along with a word from our sponsor. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Cures by KillingCures Malaria by killing the mosquitoes. The smoke, that is. Then again, the fish may eat the mosquitoes before they can cause more malaria in the first place, thus reducing the need for the "White Pills". Tom O'Neill's bequestThomas O’Neill was indeed the person who made the Cathedral a reality but it was through a bequest, because when the church was dedicated in 1959, he had been dead for 50 years. I was fortunate enough to have been on the Cathedral’s 50th anniversary planning committee (I designed the anniversary logo), and one of the many things I researched was O’Neill’s story. At the age of 33, he went into a brief partnership to establish his own dry goods store at Charles and Lexington Streets, eventually buying out his partner and expanding his business to four adjoining buildings and nearly 500 employees, with branches in Dublin (he was an Irish immigrant), London, and Paris. On February 7, 1904, as the Baltimore fire roared towards O’Neill’s store with flames licking the south wall, the wind shifted and sent the holocaust eastward and his store escaped becoming one of the 1,300-plus buildings destroyed in a 75-block arc. Fire officials wanted to blow up his store to create a fire break if the winds changed, but he refused and, the legend goes, raced off to a Carmelite convent to enlist the nuns’ prayers (his sister was, well, a Sister there). Whether that story is true or not, his gratitude was real and his will contained this bequest: “All the balance of my estate (including, after the death of my said sisters and brothers, the sum so as aforesaid put aside by my trustees to pay the annuities above mentioned)…as a nucleus for, and for the erecting of, a Cathedral Church in the City of Baltimore”. Also he gave his employees the opportunity to become stockholders and joint owners of his business, with each worker who had two or more years of service gaining a sizable bonus. O'Neill was a trustee of St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys in Baltimore. One of its students, who entered the school in 1902 at age seven, spent 12 years there learning, among other things, how to play baseball. His name was George Herman Ruth, later known as "Babe". Burned UpMuch of what is seen here was burned in the Baltimore Fire of 1904. Directly above the "White Pills" sign is a tall white building, which I believe to be the Continental Trust Building. It became so hot in there during the fire, gratings in the elevator shafts melted. To its left is a Victorian office building with a mansard roof. This would be the Baltimore and Ohio RR offices, built in the 1870's and totally gutted in the '04 fire. The prominent mansard roof down the street to the left is Barnum's City Hotel, also lost in the fire. Both of these structures faced Baltimore Street, still a major east-west street. Along the waterfront are two Bay steamers of the Baltimore, Chesapeake and Atlantic Rwy tied up at their freight terminal. Most of these waterfront warehouses, many dating to the early days of the Republic, were burned out. At far left margin is the painted sign of O'Neill's Department Store. At the height of the fire, Mr. O'Neill is supposed to have prayed for the Lord to spare his store, and if He would, O'Neill would build Him a new Cathedral. The store survived, and true to his word, Mr. O'Neill built the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in the northern suburbs of town. Refrigerated boxcarsThe boxcar on the train ferry with "Fruit" and "Ventilated" on its side caught my attention. The answer to early refrigeration in transporting perishable goods was a long time coming. Here is what Wikipedia said: "In 1878 Swift hired engineer Andrew Chase to design a ventilated car that was well insulated, and positioned the ice in a compartment at the top of the car, allowing the chilled air to flow naturally downward. Chase's design proved to be a practical solution." Of course, Swift & Co went on to become very successful. Although I see it is now owned by a Brazilian company. Skeletal ConstructionThe skeleton of a building, to the left of City Hall and faded into the background, appears to be The Belvedere Hotel, built in 1903 and still standing today. Knabe HallNice to see Knabe Hall there. My first piano teacher (after I resumed lessons as an adult) had a Knabe concert grand that was built in the 1890s, and that was a beautiful instrument, on a par with Steinway. Now we knowThat may be where they invented fish oil pills. Two things supposedly good for your health packed in one. I'll have the fish, fillet or steak, and you may keep the pills. Thank you. Mosquito killerCures Malaria by killing the mosquitoes. The smoke, that is. The white liver pills caused smoke to come out that killed mosquitoes? Wow. I'll bet it was deadly to more than mosquitoes! Churches still standingToward the left, you can see the tall pointed steeple of Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, completed in 1872 and the twin spires with onion shaped domes of the Basillica of the Assumption, completed in 1821. Both buildings are still standing and in use today. (The Gallery, Baltimore, Boats & Bridges, DPC)
Words and Music: 1920
... robust. Trivia: I believe that's the roof of the Willard Hotel (14th & F Streets N.W.) appearing to the upper left of the subject ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/06/2012 - 1:56pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1920. "Harry Wardman property, 1340 G Street." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. John Dabney: Barber to Presidents.The ground floor barber shop at 1344 G appears to have been the business of semi-famous barber John W. Dabney. A 1901 article regarding his hair tending activities is below: Dabney's clientele list is a who's who of the day's prominent politicians. I find the news article additionally interesting for the details of President McKinley's grooming regimen. I believe (but can't be positive) that the owner of "Dabney's" in this photo to be the same person based on two additional factoids: The Post's legal notices, Jun 5, 1913, include reference to "John W. Dabney, 1344 G Sts. N.W." Census records list only one John W. Dabney in the relevant period. The 1920 census cites him living at 618 R St, age 63, mulatto, born in Virginia, occupation: barber, owns his own shop. He Shaves Great Men Barber Whose Razor Moves Over Familiar Faces. Over a little shop in an F street basement there presides a man who has perhaps pulled the noses of more distinguished men than any other man in the country. Withal he has pulled them gently, and has for years been a great favorite of men who have thus been assailed by him. He is John W. Dabney, a colored barber, who is the special barber of the President of the United States and of two score of other public men, who compelled to be shaved like ordinary mortals, delight in having that duty well done and with due regard to their own comfort and convenience. There are three sets of official barbers in Washington, the Executive, the Senate, and the House of Representatives, but the dean of this corps is, or course, the man who shaves the President, looks after his hair, and keeps the Executive scalp in good condition. Dabney is an artist in this line, and one of the most modest of men. He is not talkative. He has never yet contracted the failing of the average barber, and no man who wished to sleep would be kept awake while under his care. It must not be inferred, however, that President McKinley does not know how to handle a razor. He has all the accomplishments that belong to the first gentleman of the land, and shaves himself every morning. Dabney is an occasional visitor only, and he becomes the official barber when the President's hair needs trimming and when his scalp demands attention. This occurs about once a week. There is a barber's chair at the White House, but is has fallen into disuse. The President sits in an ordinary easy chair while Dabney spends the hour and a half usually required to properly dress Mr. McKinley's head and shave him. The Presidential face is somewhat tender and demands some care. His beard grow "stout" and must be handled gingerly. In the chair the President is one of the most pleasant of men. He talks freely and discusses current matters of the day, save politics. That he carefully eschews. He enjoys the operation, chats entertainingly, and after his head has been rubbed and scalp treated, as Dabney only knows how to treat it, the President expresses his satisfaction, and goes about his arduous duties refreshed and contented. Then Dabney returns to his shop and waits on ordinary mortals or makes the rounds of the houses where he is daily expected in his duties and require him to care for the hair of ladies of innumerable official families. He is, as a barber, one of the most familiar figures in many of the leading families in Washington. For thirty years he has wielded the scissors and razor, and twenty-three years of that time has been spent in Washington. Among those now living whom he has or is servicing are, besides the President and Mrs. McKinley, Secretary Root, Secretary Long, Vice President-elect Roosevelt, Senator Frye, former Vice-President Stevenson, Justice Harlan, Gen. Miles, Admiral Dewey, Senator Hoar, Senator Carter, Gen. Clarkson, Henry Watterson, Gen. Tracy, former Secretary of the Navy, former Senators Murphy and Smith, and others. Among the distinguished dead who were habitues of his shop were James G. Blaine, Secretary of State; W. W. Corcoran, philanthropist; Secretary Windom, of the Treasury; Secretary of Agricultural Rusk, Senator Farley, of California; Senator Vorhees, of Indiana, and many others. ... Discussing the habits of great men in the chair, Dabney said: "Mr. Roosevelt was always chatty. He discussed anything that happened to be the center of public attraction, politics, prize fights, sports, religion, or anything that people were talking and thinking about. Blaine and Corcoran were reticent. They had little to day, but were always pleasant. The German and French ministers like their own peculiar foreign hair cuts, expressed the satisfaction when well served, but did no talking. Secretary Root likes good attention, is pleasant and agreeable, but reserved. Secretary Long is a man of few words at all times, and fewer still when in the barber's chair. Former Vice President Stevenson had a pleasant word whenever he entered the shop, took everything good naturedly, and was easily pleased. Few men are testy when under the scissors or razor, in you only study what they like and endeavor to give it to them." Since his appointment as the White House barber three years ago, Dabney has had many calls, not only for prominent officials but from many ladies, wives, of Cabinet officers, and others in Congressional and exclusive social circles, whom he attended for hair and scalp treatment. One interesting thing in connection with his work is the fact that he has been of student of his profession and refuses to use any of the numerous so called remedies for the scalp with which the market is flooded. He uses his own shampoos, tonics, &c., which are compounded by himself. This secret, whatever it is, is zealously guarded by him, but he proudly asserts that the ladies of Washington society whom he treats regularly and whose hair he keeps in order commend him for the excellence of his work. As a successor to Charles Leamis, who has been identified with the White House since Grant's first term, Dabney seems to have been succesful and to have won the favor of those with whom he comes in contact. ... [article goes on to detail barbers of the House and Senate] Washington Post, Feb 3, 1901 also appeared in The Colored American, Jun 29, 1901 Dabney's The Young Visiters"The Young Visiters" was written by Daisy Ashford when she was 9 years old (though not published until some years later). The full text is available at project Gutenberg. No ParkingI wonder how much a parking ticket was back then? Still waitingIt looks like it's still for lease (or at least part of it) after 88 years ... View Larger Map Wutta View!Shame about the "facadomy" applied to the face of this building over the years. The original architecture was handsome and robust. Trivia: I believe that's the roof of the Willard Hotel (14th & F Streets N.W.) appearing to the upper left of the subject building. The sign announcing the "smokeless boilers" may refer to the site's having natural gas service to supplant coal use-- the "smokeless" feature can be thought of as an antecedent to today's "green" technology. The streetcar tracks seen here belonged at the time to the Washington Railway & Electric Company, later becoming the Capital Transit Co.'s Route 20 line, which covered a LOT of territory from Bladensburg, Md., in the east of Washington to Cabin John, near Great Falls to the west of the city. The "No Parking" sign was not taken seriously, if only because of its homemade look. ["Smokeless" generally meant coal-fired downdraft boilers. - Dave] Double JeopardyFour of the five cars with visible license plates have 2 plates. One plate on each car is D.C. Can anyone know what the other one was and why the cars had two? [Those are Maryland plates. In the days before motor vehicle reciprocity, a driver might need to have a license plate for every jurisdiction he drove in. - Dave] Heads UpLook out! Mind the flowerpots! Electrical Massage?Dabney's, under the bookstore, is apparently offering "Electrical Scalp and Facial Massages." YOW! You know, I love these old photos because, often as not, they remind us of how much we have in common with the people in them, in spite of the funny technology and hairdos. This is NOT such a time. Electrical Face Massage? They... run 120V through your face? I hope that I'm just ignorant of the process. Harry WardmanIndication is, Harry lost his fortune in the 1929 Wall Street crash. He had amassed $30 million. Wouldn't a lot of it be in his vast real estate empire? That would also have been depressed, but not like the stock market. Autumn 1920I am always curious when Dave states something such as "circa 1920." To what extent is such a statement based on information attached to the photo and to what degree is it based on Dave's own research and intuition? In this case, Dave, is indeed, quite accurate. I date the photo to Autumn of 1920, bracketed by the following Washington Post articles: Sep 26, 1920: Bellevue Farms Lunch (located behind the photographed construction signage) at 1334-1336 G st, had acquired #1332 G street and the premises were being remodeled to serve as the "Bellevue Annex, Dining and Tea Room," (matches signage seen in photo) Dec 13, 1920: Advertisement announcing beauty services at Maison La Vigne, recently opened by Beatrix La Vigne Erly at 1342 G St. (this address still under construction in photo) Jan 8, 1921: Bellevue Farms Lunch advertised that the former annex at 1332 G street is now functioning as "The Bellevue Bantam," a home style dining room serving "the same delicious Bellevue food." (signage in photo not yet updated reflect this name) [The year is on the license plates. If the numbers aren't legible, you can often tell by the design. - Dave] Still thereI work across the street from those buildings. They've been abandoned for approx 7 years (most recently they were the site of an adult bookstore/tattooist and palm reader). The bookstore building has been gone longer than that and is just a deep hole now. Just last week they've started to clean up the empty site of the bookstore, to make way for a new building which will be part of the Armenian Holocaust Museum being built there and in the old National Bank next door on the corner. That's not the Willard in the background. The Willard is off the right side of the picture, 1 block down. This stretch of G Street between 13th and 14th is one of the last "underdeveloped" areas downtown. Looking forward to some of the luster coming back. +90As edition_of_one noted with the Google Street View, two of the buildings still exist although they are still vacant and have been for several years. Prospects for tenants aren't great. Below is the identical view taken in April of 2010. Now goneAn update: These buildings have been demolished. The D.C. government threatened to declare them a blight and gave the owners a deadline to demolish them, otherwise the property taxes would have increased dramatically. The demolition began a bit before Christmas and seems to have mostly wrapped up over the past MLK holiday weekend (Jan. 18-20). Here's a WBJ story from last year about the fate of the buildings: http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/breaking_ground/2013/04/dc-buildin... (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
The Accident: 1957
... of the Oakland Tribune. Not the mention the 704 Cafe and Hotel Richards. 4x5 acetate negative from the News Archive. View full size. ... Framed The cops were after me; I was hiding out at the Hotel Richards. My troubles started when I met her at the 704 ... Cut-rate ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/07/2015 - 12:46pm -

Oakland circa 1957, and another car crash involving an early-1950s Buick. Conven­iently close to the offices of the Oakland Tribune. Not the mention the 704 Cafe and Hotel Richards. 4x5 acetate negative from the News Archive. View full size. Little Dutch BoyThe "big" little boy painter on the side of the Simon Hardware building looks like the Dutch Boy Paint logo. DB seems to be a subsidiary of Sherwin-Williams these days, but I remember that little kid from paint my folks used to buy when I was a kid. Guy on gurneyOww, my head! I need a law--ahem--doctor! Much has changed...but a few of the old buildings remain. Here's today's view a little closer to the remaining buildings. H.W. Starr"The Saddle Shop." Charles Starr bought Lemon Saddlery in 1911, and his son H.W. bought the business from him in 1937. Originally at 530 Broadway, it moved to 716 Broadway some time by 1951. Closed in the early 1960s. Photos of both stores and many saddles are available for viewing, but not downloading, at the collections website of the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA). Minor crashIt looks like it didn't take much to produce an injury in those days. Good Old Curley'sAt the corner of 8th and Broadway. Accident was at 7th. FramedThe cops were after me; I was hiding out at the Hotel Richards. My troubles started when I met her at the 704 ... Cut-rate accidentGets only a Chevrolet ambulance rather than a Caddy. PontiambulanceThe ambulance is actually a 1953 Pontiac with Chevrolet taillights. In those days Pontiac and Chevrolet shared the same basic body shell and it was not unusual to see low production models such as this with odd combinations of trim. The ambulance is definitely a Pontiac as identified by the side trim and hubcaps. See attached pic of 1953 Pontiac "Tin Woody" with '53 Chevy taillights. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, News Photo Archive, Signal 30)
Dallas After Dark: 1942
... Mississippi. Today the Magnolia Building is the Magnolia Hotel, and the Merc has been converted into apartments. Pirouetting Pegasus ... and restored the neon sign and installed it at the Omni hotel downtown. Does anyone remember the song Big "D", little "a", double ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/02/2017 - 5:47pm -

January 1942. "Night view, downtown section. Dallas, Texas." Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Office of War Information. View full size. Lane and CommerceIt seems I was off in my original post, this isn't Commerce and Lane, it's Commerce and Prather. The depth of field of the Google cameras can be quite different from the vintage photos. '36 TerraplaneA 1936 Hudson Terraplane sitting at the curb. The Magnolia BuildingThe main feature here is the Magnolia Building, completed in 1922. Headquarters for Magnolia Petroleum, later Mobil Oil, it was topped by the rotating, neon-lit Pegasus, put in place for the American Petroleum Institute's 1934 convention, hosted in Dallas. A replacement Pegasus sits atop the building today. Back then, Pegasus was visible for miles, as it was when my mother moved in Dallas the next year. That year (1943), it would be eclipsed in height by the Mercantile Bank Building, the only skyscraper completed during the war, and the tallest building west of the Mississippi. Today the Magnolia Building is the Magnolia Hotel, and the Merc has been converted into apartments. Pirouetting Pegasus Revolving atop the old Magnolia building, the red flying horse was a Dallas landmark for a couple generations. I remember competing with my brother to be the first to spot it as we drove into "Big D" on our semi-annual trips from Deep East Texas to Abilene. The return trip eastward usually put us in Dallas after dark and the glowing Pegusus was the halfway mark. I've heard they found and restored the neon sign and installed it at the Omni hotel downtown. Does anyone remember the song Big "D", little "a", double "l"- "a-s" - may have been a jingle? Goober Pea John F. Beasley Construction CompanyThis construction company is still going strong in the Dallas area, but the building under construction on the right in our photo didn't survive. Pegasus rebornHere's the story of the search for, and discovery and restoration of Pegasus. It's now front of the Omni Dallas, according to this. Big D, little aThe song "Big D" is from the musical "Most Happy Fella" by Frank Loesser. It's a delightful show, and popular among community theater groups. The same show also includes the show-stopping "Standing on the Corner" (as in "watching all the girls go by"). It's Actually the MercThe building under construction (directly across the street from Neiman-Marcus) did indeed survive, having been completed in 1942 as The Mercantile National Bank. It is presently 'The Merc' apartments. Here's a tidbit from their leasing brochure... "The Merc is more than a place to live. It is a place of history, rooted in the city's legacy of entrepreneurship, industriousness, and the good life. Completed in 1942, the 523-foot Mercantile Tower with its stately clock and soaring spire was the home of the Mercantile National Bank, founded and owned by Dallas' powerhouse banker and civic leader, Robert L. Thornton. This landmark building has reclaimed its place of honor amidst Dallas' vibrant skyline". The photo shows The Mercantile National Bank shortly after completion. Neiman-Marcus is directly across the street. It's actually not the MercNot that it really matters, and not that I want to be contrary, but the building under construction would be in the 1500 block of Commerce, in a spot now occupied by a parking lot (and/or the building now at 1511 Commerce). The Merc is a block to the east of here. Love this photo - now I need to go take a look at the Pegasus next summer during the annual family trip to the Metroplex! [You're off by two blocks. We're at the 1700 block of Commerce - note the address on the C.E. Hoffman Co. sign. Also, the building at the right, now with additional floors, is at the corner of Commerce and S. Ervay, immediately across S. Ervay from the Merc. -tterrace] Dang - you're right! I did see the address, but ignored it when I agreed with a previous post that this was the corner of Lane Street, and could not see Ervay passing to the north. I think it's easy to get fooled by the foreshortening difference between these photos and Google street view cameras! I learn something every day from Shorpy! I also shouldn't try to post things when I'm up past my bedtime. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Cars, Trucks, Buses)
Indy Pano: 1907
... to the Soldier and Sailor monument, you can see the Hotel English, with its small domed features at either end. Gone, replaced by a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/26/2012 - 1:17pm -

Circa 1907. "Indianapolis, Indiana." One of the many points of interest here is the cryptic sign "FIND THE WHEN." Other landmarks include ... well you tell me. Ginormous panorama made from four 8x10 glass plates. View full size. Stunning work editing it togetherIf this was from four plates, it sure doesn't show it. I couldn't find a stitch point. Also, the "Cut rate drugs" sign made me chuckle! Kurt Vonnegut?He was born in Indanapolis, possibly related somehow to the Vonnegut Hardware Co? [Founded by his great-grandfather, Clemens Vonnegut, Sr. - tterrace] Found the WHEN!(from http://www.in.gov/library/2489.htm) WHEN? in large letters was all that people of Indianapolis saw in the windows of a building located at 30-40 North Pennsylvania Street for several months. In order to pique the public's interest, before the clothing store opened in 1885, owner John T. Brush, initiated a teaser campaign. For several months he advertised in the newspaper the store's arrival by simply printing the word "When" in full page ads in large block letters. He then went on to print "Where," and had plans to print "What", which he never used. At some point during the advertising campaign he added "When" to the windows of the store. By the time the store opened, "When" stuck. The public did not like any other name chosen, so Brush named his new clothing store, "When Store." What's still there??I'm sure that I'm not alone among Shorpyites in that the first thing I do when seeing a panorama like this is to fire up Google Maps and try to find things that are still there. Other than the obvious stuff like the state capitol and the soldiers' monument, there is a block of nearly unchanged small stores along Delaware Street just north of Market, and a large building now called the "symphony center" at 29 East Washington. A walk around the monument circle in street view reveals a couple of buildings that might have been extant in 1907, unfortunately they are obscured in the panorama. There are certainly many more I've missed. from a transplantI moved to Indy from elsewhere and recognized a number of the buildings. The view is to the North, the Soldier's and Sailor's monument is in the right, the Indiana Statehouse with flag is visible past that. I'm trying to figure out where it was taken from, but can't think of what tall buildings are located in the right spot that would have been around at that time. I'll post to some of the native Hoosiers I know and see what they recognize. What a great photo! Wonder what the WHEN was?Was this a contest of some sort, or just a clever ad to get people to go looking for the WHEN? [Explained in a previous comment. - tterrace] I missed it somehow, thank you. Interesting story. Vonnegut Hardware Indianapolis, An Outline History, 1902. Max R. Hyman, editor. Notable Retail Establishments. Vonnegut Hardware Company—The Vonnegut Hardware Company, wholesale and retail dealers, 120-124 East Washington street, is the development of a business that was established originally in 1851 by Mr. Clemens Vonnegut, sr., and in 1898 assumed the present style, with Mr. Clemens Vonnegut and his three sons, Clemens Vonnegut, jr., Franklin Vonnegut and Geo. Vonnegut, as partners. Their five-story and basement building, 45 x 200 feet, contains a very large and complete stock, including the best and finest productions of leading American manufacturers and the finest imported articles, the assortment embracing builders' and cabinet hardware. machinery, tools, manufacturers' supplies, meat market outfits. Imported and domestic cutlery, household hardware, etc. Besides their large retail trade, they have heavy wholesale business covering Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and the South, and employ four traveling salesmen. This firm is a member of the Retail Merchants' Association. My InventoryThe photos were evidently taken from the tower of the county courthouse, now the site of a 26 story City County Building. The location is 200 E. Market St The central view is looking west, with the pano spanning SW to NW. At far left are the twin spires of St. John's Church, corner of Capitol and Georgia St. Still there. To the right of that, there is a 12 story office building with a limestone front. That's the Merchant's Bank. The building remains and houses a large law firm. An addition (twice its height) was built a few years later, replacing the small building on the corner. The two smaller buildings closer to the camera are still there. Behind Vonnegut's is the Baldwin Piano Co, 14 N Pennsylvania. Later it became a feed and seed dealer, which remained in operation until the late 90's. The building is still there. Next to the piano store is the ornate When Building. It is now replaced by an ugly concrete parking garage. Looking past the When Building, you see the peaked roof of the Traction Terminal, home to all the street cars see travelling on Washington St. It is gone, along with the street cars. Behind that is, of course, the domed Indiana state capitol building. Returning to the Soldier and Sailor monument, you can see the Hotel English, with its small domed features at either end. Gone, replaced by a low rise commercial building, and years later after extensive remodelling, it now houses Anthem Insurance. Continuing to the right, the spires of Christ Episcopal Church peek over the Columbia Club. Both are still in existence. The block of store fronts extending north from the corner of Savin's Pharmacy (Market and Delaware St) is remarkably still intact. But Savin's has been replaced with a much taller structure. Behind the Savin, we see the Empire Theater. The building survives but is oddly serving as a parking garage. At bottom, extreme right, are Tomlinson Hall (burned to the ground in 1957) and the City Market which remains with that name but is a mainly a fast-food lunch spot today after extensive restoration and renovation. How I'd love to go back in time and ride my velocipede up and down those streets! AwesomePlease excuse this overused adjective, but stitching together 4 photos makes such an impressive cityscape. This must take the award for most detailed Shorpy photo to date! Wish you could find a few photos of South Bend, 150 miles north of Indy. Learn moreAwhile back I posted these photos on my Flickr page and annotated the images with links to some history articles that I and others wrote on Historic Indianapolis (a great web site for Indy history). Click on these links to learn more: Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Find the WhenThe When, for those who may not know, was a building in Indy. I believe it was a department store. https://www.indystar.com/story/news/history/retroindy/2018/07/26/heres-l... Photo from Marion County CourthouseThis photo would have been taken from the clock tower of the old Marion County Courthouse located on the block south of City Market and Tomlinson Hall between Market and Washington Streets. The courthouse was demolished in 1962 after the City-County Building was built. (Panoramas, DPC, Indianapolis, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)
Dodge Noir: 1948
... beautiful. Morris Lapidus Very well known for his hotel designs (most famously, the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach) where he tried ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/05/2013 - 8:43am -

March 24, 1948. "L Motors, business at 175th Street and Broadway, New York City. General view. Morris Lapidus, client." Need a new car? Go straight to L. Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. I wishI could have taken this. It's beautiful. Morris LapidusVery well known for his hotel designs (most famously, the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach) where he tried to transform the guest experience into an extravaganza. He wanted people to always remember their visit and did all he could to make it visually memorable. This car dealership is flamboyant to the nth degree. Beautiful. Still ThereToday it's a "Bravo Super Market." Bravo? I think not.Via Google Streetview: http://goo.gl/maps/UhLBC Not much to look at nowadays. This is progress? [Edited to add: Sorry, I thought I uploaded this pic with my post:] Two ThingsCould that car in the showroom window possibly be on a turntable? And what's that leaning out of the driver's window? A kid? A mannequin? Keepin' it realRegarding the inquiry by "The Inventor" about the object in the driver's seat, I think it is probably a prop to inspire spectators to imagine themselves in the car. The convertible in the far right window appears to be full of passengers and/or dogs (but I know for sure they are not giant hamsters). TowniesThe 175th St & Broadway neighborhood is the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. At he time this picture was taken it was was a multi ethnic enclave. Heavily Jewish, with a high proportion of German refugees that arrived both before and after WW2. Some of the more well known people that grew up there were former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the stage and film Producer/Director Mike Nichols and "The Fonz", Actor/Director Henry Winkler. "The Nighthawks"That photo reminds me very much of the Edward Hopper painting. A sign of changing transportation times (sort of)The streetcar tracks shown on Broadway were no longer in use at the time of the photo, the streetcar lines having been discontinued about nine months earlier. It would be tempting to say that the expansion of private auto ownership as exemplified by the cars in the window was the reason for the abolition of the streetcars, which would be true in most parts of the country, but in New York the switch to buses was the main reason. WhatsaWhat's a "Plymouth". What's a two-phase traffic light. Statements of yesteryore, not questions. Ahhh. Sigh. A Shadow of its Former Glory - 2009R&S Strauss Discount Auto: http://bit.ly/Xq1ssy (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)
Geese Better Scurry: 1901
... Winton auto. Water tower design Top left of the hotel is what looks like to me a water tower built for the purpose of water pressure throughout the hotel. Best looking water tower I've seen. (The Gallery, Bicycles, DPC, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/07/2016 - 2:43pm -

New Jersey circa 1901. "Coleman House, Asbury Park." Fringe Festival in progress. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Unsecured BicycleHow long until an unlocked bike was purloined in 1901? I'd give it five minutes today. This isn't OklahomaBut you get an Oscar for your Hammerstein reference anyway. Luddite Bicycle JockeyDoesn't trust those newfangled bike racks. FixieNowadays, you have to pay someone to make a bike like that for you. We call them "fixies", and they don't have brakes because they don't have a freewheel: you cannot coast, your legs are always moving. Stop moving your legs, and you stop. Sort-of. Up a hill, not so bad. Down a hill, rather exciting. Stopping is overratedWho needs brakes when you have a bell, though it looks like they may have lost the actual bell part. Razed, not BlazedAccording to http://noweverthen.com/asbury/ap1.1fold/ap1.12.html: "The Coleman was torn down in the '50s and replaced by a modern motel, the Empress." An early drawing of the Coleman, click to embiggen: Back seat driverNote first surrey. stopping is NOT overrated......and entirely possible with a fixed gear bike. Once a necessity, now a hipster status symbol/phenomenon. Google "hipster fixie" if you care to know more. Early auto designI don't ever recall seeing a full-size buggy with wire wheels. Imagining it without the back seat, and the top, (and the horse!) it looks a lot like a early Winton auto. Water tower designTop left of the hotel is what looks like to me a water tower built for the purpose of water pressure throughout the hotel. Best looking water tower I've seen. (The Gallery, Bicycles, DPC, Horses)
Spencer Daily Reporter: 1936
... was still Main Street, before the enlargement of the Hotel Tangney, which would be off to the right across Sixth Street in a few ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/31/2009 - 6:33pm -

December 1936. "Street scene. Spencer, Iowa." 35mm nitrate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Clark KentBefore he moved to Metropolis, this could have been the type of hometown newspaper where Clark Kent would have served. It's too bad he had to move on to bigger and better things at the Daily Planet. For one thing, the locals would know Superman was Clark. He couldn't fool them by wearing eyeglasses that had no glass in them. Of course, about all the heroics he could muster in Spencer, Iowa, in 1936, would be flying up to hang or remove those Christmas lights on the newspaper building. Spencer UpdateThose buildings are still there. This was when Grand Avenue was still Main Street, before the enlargement of the Hotel Tangney, which would be off to the right across Sixth Street in a few years. Those houses were moved or sold for lumber. The F.W. Knight building on the left got bought Jim Schooley, who is restoring it. The Reporter building still has a print shop in it, but they put a nasty false front on it, with the old windows underneath. The barber shop in the basement has some evidence of a few bath cubbies in the back, where people could get a hot bath after their shearing! Spencer Daily ReporterThe newspaper is still printed and seems to be flourishing. http://spencerdailyreporter.com/ Wonderful PhotoA wonderful photo. The photos of large city places and people are great, but I especially enjoy photos of smaller cities and their everyday life. This must be close to Christmas as the lights are strung. One thing that first caught my eye, was the sign for "Community Rest Rooms." Wonder if they offered anything more than the basic facilities? Community Rest RoomI've seen lots of cool old signs on Shorpy, but this one is going to be hard to beat. Community SpiritI'm impressed by the Community Rest Room, since there is such a great need for these things in NYC. Did many farm communities offer this amenity at the time? Set the wayback machine!This is one of those amazing, unposed images that make me want to step right into the photo. I want to know where the ladies are going, and what they're discussing. Is the elderly man a Civil War vet? What's the guy with the car doing? What's happening in those houses along the side street at that moment in time? Heading for the Chatterbox CafeThe gentleman on the left? Surely a Norwegian bachelor farmer heading for the Chatterbox Cafe for some pie and coffee. A furry taleI just finished reading the delightful biography of Dewey, Spencer's library cat! http://spencerlibrary.com/deweybio.htm How nice to have a glimpse of what Spencer looks like, there is an interesting story behind its "Prairie Deco" buildings. I'm not dead yet!I am now sitting inside the F.W. Knight building, on the left in this photo. I work often at restoring this old property to what it once was. The exterior is fairly close to what is seen here. The basement window wells I remember from my childhood are gone but I intend to put them back. A caretaker's tunnel out the back is still there, where one could sneak out to the old house behind for a quick hand of poker and a belt or two. Many interesting things are popping up as old residents come in to retell the history of this fine old building. The community restroom still exists as it once did, the shower is new, the toilet is original. More later. J.D. Schooley (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Chesapeake Beach: 1919
... in the 70s/80s and is now consists of a restaurant/hotel, condos, and duplex homes. We live about three miles away. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 4:35pm -

July 1919. "Walter Reed outing at Chesapeake Beach, Maryland." National Photo Company Collection glass negative, Library of Congress. View full size. Walter ReedPerhaps you could read the thoughtful captions and information helpfully provided by our host? Do you know what Walter Reed is? These are soldiers/vets on an outing. Notice any missing lower limbs? Water on the PlanksYou can see the clear outline of the water on the wooden planks...I love that. And I second Jen Rutter on the "Handsome Rakes" comment! Too much beefIt looks like the ladies are well outnumbered or is this a gay beach? Hubba HubbaYou know how there are several comments that "judge" the "beauty" of the women pictured on Shorpy? Well, I just want to say that you don't have to worry about filing this one under "Handsome Rakes"! There, I said it. Chesapeake BeachThe beach and large amusement park are long gone. The park flourished for many years, served by trains from the DC area and "cruise ships" from Baltimore. Both the train service and the park died early in the Depression. The small train station which served the folks flocking to the beach/park from the heat of DC and Baltimore remains and is operated as a museum by the local historical society. The site of the beach/park was developed in the 70s/80s and is now consists of a restaurant/hotel, condos, and duplex homes. We live about three miles away. I'm amazed!Several of these men appear to be running, quite swiftly, with only one leg and using no supports. I third the "Handsome Rakes"!!And from Walter Reed, then they are brave as well as hunky! (The Gallery, Handsome Rakes, Natl Photo, Sports, Swimming)
Orange and Blue: 1968
... news. I was listening to the feed from the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after Kennedy had been declared the winner of the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/14/2013 - 11:17am -

June 8, 1968. "Funeral cortege of Robert F. Kennedy." More of the mourners who lined the route of RFK's funeral train as it made its way from New York to Washington. The mood may have been blue, but the Popsicles were not. Photos by Paul Fusco and Thomas Koeniges for Look magazine. View full size. Different CrowdDifferent time of day? Different zip code? The last crowd looked like they had all spontaneously dropped their household chores, hair curlers and all. They were standing in tall grass, most of them wearing shorts, and I almost start scratching my ankles thinking of the chigger bites. But here, they're dressed to the nines, at least the five very fashionable women in the front row. I love that dress with the Morse code patterns, or is it more like an oilfield geologist's sounding chart? I've known a few women who would kill to find that in a vintage shop. Who knows which state, just somewhere along the Penn Central line, as this is after the merger, but before Amtrak. CoverageI was ten years old when this happened. I remember "Bewitched" was preempted for coverage of the funeral, which was on all the networks. The thing went on forever. The poor newscasters ran out of things to say, so resorted to saying, time and again, "Yes, the coffin will be passed through the removed windows of the train car," which I though was incredibly spooky. At some point, one of the guys said, "So tragic...two brothers...from the same family." This reminds meof a European on his first visit to the U.S. who noticed that Americans are always eating in the street, others Europeans have mentioned this also, seems funerals are no exception. A HOT June Day!According to records kept by www.weatherunderground.com the high temperature on that date in NYC was 88, and 80 in Washington, D.C. - so assuming this photo was taken somewhere between those two points, it was a pretty hot day all around - which would explain the ice pops - bottled water was not around back then. [It was, but the bottles were glass. - Dave] Re: GreenlandIn '68 I was a SAC crew dog flying 'Thule Monitor' (AKA 'BUTTERKNIFE') missions, where we'd take a B-52 up to Thule and orbit the place for twelve hours, (ostensibly) watching just in case the Soviets vaporized it. We killed time (and probably drove Soviet radio monitors nuts) by playing 'Trivia' over the UHF with Thule ground control. Any chance that was you? HemlinesYou could just about take a laser sight (time machine needed, of course,) and etch a straight line with those hems on the three skirts to the left. StrangeI find this photo kind of surreal. Popsicles and a funeral train. Two things that I would have never put together. [Don't knock it till you've tried it. - Dave] Why the popsicles?Did an ice cream truck running a special on orange Popsicles pass by just prior to this photo was taken? Just seems weird that several of the people in the picture seem to be eating them; I mean the same flavor and everything. This also reminds me of how things have changed; all of the visible females are wearing skirts/dresses even in the free for all late '60's when things began to relax fashion-wise. I remember wearing either a dress or a skirt every day to school around that time. By the early 70's though, jeans were the norm. Gold pinky ringsI don't remember that as a fashion statement in the late 1960s or early 1970s, but two of the women in front (maybe all five, but I think the two AA women have wedding bands on their index finger, and it's hard to tell with the blond on the left) have pinky rings. Heard it from GreenlandI was stationed at Thule Airbase in 1968 and worked in the comm center. A friend of mine worked in Tech Control and had access to all the Armed Forces Network news feeds. Since I was a political junkie, on every primary night he'd patch me into the live not-for-broadcast feed so I could keep up with the latest election news. I was listening to the feed from the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after Kennedy had been declared the winner of the California primary and heard the pandemonium after the shooting. The previous April, I was working at Eugene McCarthy headquarters in D.C. while home on leave the previous April when MLK was killed. It's hard to describe the feelings of those days. It felt like everything was falling apart. SurrealI was just finishing up at CUA then, Almost too much going on to fully appreciate. Strange times. It is a SaturdayJudging from the clothing of the young people in the crowd, I thought they were all possibly office workers, stenos, etc. but after looking at the day of the week site, it said it was a Saturday and certainly not what most people today schlep around in on a weekend. Practice for the futureCellphones haven't been invented yet, so we'll just hold up these popsicles. Minimal RestraintNote that the Police Line consists of a mere length of twine. (LOOK, Railroads)
It's Delovely! It's Dynamic!
... tail at anything on the road!" In this case, the Mar Monte Hotel in Santa Barbara in 1958. Detail from my brother-in-law's Anscochrome ... Nearly the same angle Today, from the hotel's website. Looks like they've done some remodeling and additions, but ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/24/2009 - 5:10pm -

...it's DeSoto! Specifically, a 1957 DeSoto. "This baby can flick its tail at anything on the road!" In this case, the Mar Monte Hotel in Santa Barbara in 1958. Detail from my brother-in-law's Anscochrome slide. Not his car, though. Full size. The Most Exciting Car TodayIs now delighting the far highway ... Nearly the same angleToday, from the hotel's website. Looks like they've done some remodeling and additions, but they've done a good job keeping it to the original style. [Where are the tailfins? - Dave] You Bet Your Life"Tell 'em Groucho sent ya!" Looks familiarI thought, before reading the caption, that the hotel looked like it could be from around my home area. Sure enough... good ol' SB. Gotta love the red roof and the palm trees. Jukebox DriveI remember Chrysler experimenting with ways to control its nifty, newfangled "Torqueflite" transmissions. The stick on the steering column and the floor shift were just so 1940's. I believe this baby had a short stick coming right out of the dash to select the gear. Our 1958 had a pod of lighted buttons on the dash labeled "P-R-N-D-2-L" hence the term "Jukebox" Drive. That "Firedome" V-8 could smoke the back wheels before you could push from "L" to "2". Ask me how I know. Mmmm, I forgot how much I loved that car. [The transmission buttons on the '57 DeSoto were the same as on the 1958 models. The lever coming out of the dashboard was on the 1955 cars. - Dave] (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, tterrapix)
The Old Mill Stream: 1913
... mill, but there is a wax museum near the Natural Bridge Hotel. I've never been a fan of wax museums, and I'm still not. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/13/2022 - 3:54pm -

Natural Bridge, Virginia (vicinity), circa 1913. "A Virginia water mill -- the Old Red Mill on Cedar Creek." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Heck, Finnif ever a shot begged to be accused of being staged, it has to be this one ... but am I going to make the charge ?? No sir!! Anyway, still there, albeit without a lot of the clutter that makes the scene in '13 so interesting. [I would aver that our lad was definitely posed. - Dave] Patiently waiting.Paw is looking for dinner. While the youngest sits and waits too! And all this time I thought Huck Finn lived in Missouri. George Washington tagged hereHere is a photo of Natural Bridge on a cold January day in 1995. U.S. Route 11 passes over the top. Around 1750, while surveying Natural Bridge, George Washington carved his initials under the bridge's arch. His initials can still be seen today. I don't remember seeing a water mill, but there is a wax museum near the Natural Bridge Hotel. I've never been a fan of wax museums, and I'm still not. (The Gallery, DPC, Kids, Landscapes)
Western Lights: 1940
May 1940. "Cactus light standard in front of hotel in Phoenix, Arizona." Behold the Urban Saguaro. Medium format negative by ... woes of the Westward Ho. Westward Ho The hotel has been converted to senior and disabled residences. The houses are ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2018 - 8:11am -

May 1940. "Cactus light standard in front of hotel in Phoenix, Arizona." Behold the Urban Saguaro. Medium format negative by Russell Lee. View full size. DividedThat light standard feels both kitschy and clever at the same time ... and I'm unsure which feeling is going to win out. A 2015 article details the modern-day woes of the Westward Ho. Westward HoThe hotel has been converted to senior and disabled residences. The houses are gone, replaced by a parking lot. Contrary to many rumors, this wasn't the hotel at the opening of "Psycho". That beautiful '40 Ford Deluxein the foreground appears to have a sad case of neglected whitewalls. Within a couple of years people would gain a new appreciation for the value of tires. Grand Canyon Stateis the slogan across the bottom of that beautiful blue-on-white 1940 Arizona license plate. 1940 was the first year Arizona used that slogan on its plates, a practice which has continued every year right up to the present. Shorpy Vehicle Identification ImperativeLeft to right: 1940 Ford Deluxe 4dr sedan, 1939/40 Dodge pickup (although there seems to be some kind of custom framework in place of a pickup bed), 1938 Oldsmobile coupe, 1938 Ford standard 4dr sedan. Westward HoMy father, Robert W. Lamb, worked in the Westward Ho office as a humble filing clerk before being drafted into WWII. I remember sleeping on sheets with "Westward Ho" stitched in red when I was 3-4 years old. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Russell Lee)
Ocean Park: 1915
... Amusing synchronicity that this image has a sign for a Hotel Metropole on the left side of the street. It looks like an advertising ... an "Auto Inn," I doubt if it refers to the Catalina Island hotel shown in the next Shorpy post. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/07/2018 - 12:58pm -

Santa Monica, Calif., circa 1915. "Pier Avenue, Ocean Park." Meet you in an hour at the Sundae Shop! 5x7 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. The man without his hat.Do you think he's embarrassed ? FocusGreat to see some West Coast work. The photographer used a view camera for this image. He decided to adjust the lens position to get deep focus on only the left side of Pier Avenue, where most of the interest is. The soft focus on the right was a result of that. The films of that era were "slow" and you couldn't always get straight-on deep focus. Camera adjustments were part of the tricks of the trade. Dude knew his gear. [There is no "film". This was shot on glass. - Dave] I love this pictureAnd I thought car shows were just an idea of today. Autos are lined up exactly like the ones shown this summer. Where's WaldoOne of the joys of reading the Shorpy comments is going back to look at the picture again ( and again ) to try and find the things other readers caught. It took me a minute but finally got the popcorn wagon. EMOCLEW A very beautiful and high quality photograph of an interesting street scene. A strange thing though, is that on the far distant hillside, the large letters that spell out "WELCOME" appear backwards, as though the photograph was printed backwards, and yet all of the rest of the signage in this street scene appears normal. Why does the word WELCOME appear backwards??? Oops! In looking closer, it's not big letters on the hillside; I think it's a "WELCOME" banner stretched across the street, to be read from the other side! "DUH". What could have beenOcean Park was the town between Santa Monica (to the north) and Venice. Both Ocean Park and Venice developed ahead of Santa Monica because they are at sea level while the cliffs, or palisades, separated SM from the beach. There was much political infighting between the three towns. Ocean Park eventually became part of Santa Monica while Venice was annexed into Los Angeles—and went downhill soon after. Had the towns merged themselves together, there would now be a very large autonomous beach city covering the area. [And it took Richard Diebenkorn to put the place on the map. - Dave] Popcorn wagonWow, I’ve never seen one of those old-time popcorn wagons in its actual era - only the reproduction ones you see at Disney, etc. [I'm counting the minutes until someone finds it in the Cretors catalogue. - Dave] Ha - I seem to have missed that post! Good GriefWhat a marvelous photo. A perfect representation of the time and place. Kudos to the photographer. Rental vehicleIt seems like the first car is a rental, waiting for customers. Shoulda Said --Regarding film vs glass, I should have said "emulsion". [And you still can! Comments can be edited. - Dave] Ocean Park Peer Roller CoasterOcean Park too had his roller coaster, like the Bayou City Roller seen a few days ago, the Ingersol's Scenic Railroad. Although in the Wikipedia lemma about the Pacific Ocean Park it is said that this roller coaster is one of the six of the pier's original attractions that were incorporated into the new park. As far as my research says, the roller coaster in the POP was not Ingersoll's Scenic Railroad but the 1957 Sea Serpent roller coaster at the same spot. Metropoles ApartAmusing synchronicity that this image has a sign for a Hotel Metropole on the left side of the street. It looks like an advertising billboard. As it also seems to include the amenity of being an "Auto Inn," I doubt if it refers to the Catalina Island hotel shown in the next Shorpy post. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Stores & Markets)
Dixie Calendar: 1910
... Circa 1910. "New Orleans and Mississippi River from Hotel Grunewald." The business side of the Big Easy. Detroit Publishing glass ... downtown. The original caption misspells the name of the hotel as "Gundewall"; it was the Grunewald, which is now the Roosevelt. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 2:30pm -

Circa 1910. "New Orleans and Mississippi River from Hotel Grunewald." The business side of the Big Easy. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. Wonderful photo!This is a really interesting view of the downtown. The original caption misspells the name of the hotel as "Gundewall"; it was the Grunewald, which is now the Roosevelt. Local MerchantsMayer Israel & Co. was a major retail clothier and general department store in New Orleans for almost seventy years. City directories first list the company in 1892 at 28-30 (now 100 block) St. Charles Street. Directories for 1902 through 1909 list the company at 705 Canal Street, and from 1910 until its dissolution in the late 1950s at 714-716 Canal Street. The Leon Godchaux Clothing Co. was at 826-828 Canal Street. Other landmarks include the CJ Michel Clothing Co at 130 St. Charles Street and Adams Hatter (now Meyer the Hatter) at 120 St. Charles Ave. United States Custom HouseThe impressive 4-story building near the left hand edge of the picture (just across Canal Street from the "Peoples Bank") is the US Custom House, begun in 1848 to the designs of Alexander Thompson Wood. The authorship of the design was contested at the time, and a whole succession of architects worked on the building until it was finally finished in 1881. According to Wikipedia, the building is now home to the Audubon Insectarium. Lo, how the mighty have fallen. GretnaIs that Gretna, across the river? I have memories of taking a ferry boat across the river when we visited New Orleans. My father's folks lived in Belle Chase, just outside of Gretna. Big BuildingAnyone know what the big building is under construction? Big building under construction is Whitney BankWhitney National Bank building is still standing and used by Whitney Bank. It's 14 stories tall and Emporis says construction was completed in 1909, dating the photo to 1908 or 1909. Whitney has several buildings in the CBD, but this one is the one that has fronts on St. Charles, Common, and Gravier streets. (The Gallery, DPC, New Orleans)
Broom & Board: 1910
Jacksonville, Florida, circa 1910. "Hotel Seminole (includes street cleaning activities)." The building last seen ... from the left. Forsyth and Hogan According to the hotel's letterhead , it was at the corner of Hogan and Forsyth streets. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/03/2021 - 12:34pm -

Jacksonville, Florida, circa 1910. "Hotel Seminole (includes street cleaning activities)." The building last seen here. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. In the detailsThis just goes to show how a basic 10-story rectangular box can be made handsome with some careful and inspired detailing. (And, yes, I read the comment by Mal Fuller in the linked post.) Man sitting on the window ledgeOne floor down from the top, five windows from the left. Forsyth and HoganAccording to the hotel's letterhead, it was at the corner of Hogan and Forsyth streets. The devil isNormally davidk and I are simpatico but on this occasion I'm with Mal Fuller: This is ghastly. The detail at the top resembles fish bones. The geometric shapes beneath the windows are weird too. And those two sticky-outy suspended things over the entrances? I can't even. I admit I would have enjoyed sitting on/in these veranda/porch/overhang spaces on a pleasant day to enjoy a meal and watch the world go by, but as an architectural feature, they look like window washing platforms with roofs. Most unfortunate as this looks to have been the place to be. Prairie School influenceJacksonville's growth in the early 1900s coincided with the Prairie School influence, and the detailing in the Seminole reflects that. The same architect did the St. James Hotel, which is now the city hall, and its one of the great landmarks of Prairie School commercial design. Personally, I love the style. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._James_Building (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Florida, Jacksonville)
High Noon: 1909
... rooms are ________RE ROOMS? See the brickwork high on the hotel(?) on the left. [From the panorama we later published. Now we ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 10:26pm -

Circa 1909. "Marquette, Michigan. Front Street." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Ware roomsPresumably ware rooms are what you find in a warehouse, in this case storing furniture. What a difference a century makesThe picture of this town 103 years ago is full of life and interesting little moments; boys chatting, someone selling balloons (?), a man leaning on his cane with panache while another just watches the world go by, beautifully dressed women with children shopping -- a myriad of details I am fascinated by. Jump to the same spot in 2012 and ... nothing. Hard to imagine anyone doing Shorpy's wonderful job in the future because what aficionado of history would want to spend time looking a HD closeups of empty streets, cars and maybe a pedestrian or two. Bottom line, one picture is endlessly absorbing, the other totally boring. Makes you wonder about "progress." Lunch Time at the Ice Cream ParlorIt's noon by the building clock, and the locals are mobbing the ice cream parlor. Plus 103Between a glitch in Google Street View and the difference in the lenses, it's impossible to capture the same angle - but this is close. A nice assortment of "still standing" and "long gone." (Pedestrians and trolley cars seem to be in the latter category.) Lots Going OnSo many questions: What's the guy selling that has the kids so interested? Why are some in uniform? Speaking of which, the man across the street (front right) appears to be in a policeman's uniform, but the hat is too informal. Also, he has a cane. Why is there a wooden platform behind him leading to a blank wall? And that kid there can't be doing what he looks like he's doing. Can he? What kind of rooms?I wonder what kind of rooms are ________RE ROOMS? See the brickwork high on the hotel(?) on the left. [From the panorama we later published. Now we just have to figure out what it means. - tterrace] Wooden WallRegarding the wooden wall, that appears to be for a railroad line running underneath the street. You'll see a railroad station to your left, as well as a different street cover along this extent. I believe the wall was to keep people away from the train tracks. From Merriam-Webster onlineware·room [noun \ˈwer-ˌrüm, -ˌru̇m\] A room in which goods are exhibited for sale. First known use: 1811. DentistNow that is good product placement for a dentist to open up shop next door to an ice cream parlor. I wonder if he is a partner in both locations. @jdowling23 Question"Why is there a wooden platform behind him leading to a blank wall?" The wooden platform is actually a bridge over a set of railroad tracks that lead out to cranes for unloading coal in the Marquette Harbor. The wall is for safety as it was a 16' drop down to the tracks. See attached links for different view of Front Street and the City of Marquette around that time. You can see the same wood bridge in one and the cranes in the other. Also you can see the ore docks that gravity load iron ore into ore boats to take the iron ore to Pittsburgh. Iron mining was and still is a big business in Marquette County. The photo in question was taken standing on the a steel bridge leading to the old ore dock that can be seen in the attached photos. https://www.shorpy.com/node/12493?size=_original#caption https://www.shorpy.com/node/12492?size=_original#caption (The Gallery, DPC, Small Towns, Streetcars)
Trans-Lux: 1949
... will still get you to a certain Glenn Miller tune or the Hotel Pennsylvania but PE-6-5300 could once get your name up in lights on ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/05/2018 - 9:09pm -

New York, 1949. Another Kodachrome slide of Times Square sent to us by Shorpy member RalphCS, this one taken at the Trans-Lux theater on Broadway. Who's up to see some shorts and then grab a bite at the Automat? View full size. Night Unto NightFilm noir with Ronald Reagan and Viveca Lindfors. I believe we all know who he was. She (1920-1995) was a Swedish actress of stage and screen (more than 100 films) who moved to the US in 1946. She said of her co-star, in People in 1981, "Ronnie was not a big star. He didn’t carry enough weight. To think that the guy became President is really kind of funny." That Billboard Phone NumberPEnnsylvania-6-5000 will still get you to a certain Glenn Miller tune or the Hotel Pennsylvania but PE-6-5300 could once get your name up in lights on Broadway. Thank you, RalphCS!These photos are wonderful - I like this one because we can see the people more clearly, the women in their summer dresses and the men in their wide-shouldered suits. The color really makes these photos come alive! Studebaker by StarlightThose Studebakers like the grey one on the right with those wrap-around windows simply fascinated me as a kid and I couldn't wait to sit in the back seat of one to see how it looked and felt from the inside! We didn't know anyone who had one and it was several years before they started turning up used so I could satisfy my yearnings! They were the first new design following World War II and were well-built, good-running, highly underrated cars. Of comfort to meI'm not at all suited to big city settings. Not to live, and not even very long to visit. But, the flag above the street makes me feel a little better. I wonder why it isn't visible in the earlier photo, since they seem to be taken on the same photo shoot. Curious. [The top of the building with the flag (the New York Times tower at 1 Times Square, best known today as the New Year's "ball drop" building) isn't even in the other photo. - Dave] Like I said, I'm not at my best in the city. Seems to have upset my perspective. It looked to be to the rear of the marquee in the earlier photo. Thanks, for clearing it up for this westerner. [It's on the right side of the street in both photos. - Dave] Old MoneyI knew I'd seen the name "Trans-Lux" somewhere before. New Yorker cartoon. GirlsBetween the Strand and Automat signs there is part of a sign for The Hour of Charm, with Phil Spitalny and His All-Girl Orchestra, featuring Evelyn and Her Magic Violin. A big hit on radio at the time. '47 StudebakerThe guy behind the Studebaker on the right curb is probably wondering "which way is it going"? Tango PalaceI was intrigued by the "Tango Palace" sign, did a little searching, and came up with this article from the Village Voice in 1970: https://www.villagevoice.com/2010/11/10/times-square-christmas-eve-1970-... Who Needs a Tie?The guy on the right, may be a New Yorker but he's clearly sporting the very latest from the Ted Williams fashion collection of Boston. Stylin'The gentleman in the double-breasted suit with a pocket hanky, cool hat, and two-tone black and white shoes is the absolute last word in fashion. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Movies, NYC)
Every Miser Helps the Kaiser: 1918
... 2 in 1 Shoe Polishes A.J. Detlaff Co. Bowling Burns Hotel Chop Suey Detroit Patriotic Fund ("Fill the Flag") Every Miser ... on the roof of the large building to the right saying? Hotel Domt:Harirain ??? [It's "The Pontch," or Hotel Pontchartrain . - ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/14/2012 - 5:10pm -

Detroit circa 1918. "Belle Isle from the Dime Savings Bank." In addition to a variety of World War I signage. Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Awning ChasmIt always bothers me that someone had to go out on the window ledge, or at least hang out of an umpteenth story window, to install those awnings. Just a one horse townBy 1918 there is only one horse in sight as it makes a delivery to the bowling alley. The Last Picture ShowThe building in the lower left housed the Family Theater, which burned down in the 1970s. At the time of the fire it was showing "Deep Throat," and while the smoke billowed out and firemen rushed in, the disgruntled patrons formed a line out front asking for refunds. Liberty Loan YellEvery miser helps the Kaiser; Every buyer rouses his ire; Do your share, make him swear, Bond! Bond! Bond! Open for Business 2 in 1 Shoe Polishes A.J. Detlaff Co. Bowling Burns Hotel Chop Suey Detroit Patriotic Fund ("Fill the Flag") Every Miser Helps the Kaiser! How Many War Savings Stamps Have You Bought? Fairbanks Holliday Box Co. Gregory Mayer & Thom Co. Lee & Cady Distributors M. Scherer & Co. Auto and Vehicle Material Machinery, Tools and Factory Supplies Palace Real Estate Exchange Building Restaurant Saints Signs The Home Candy Works Waitt & Bond. Blackstone Mild 10 c Cigar Walker & Co. Here is a challenge for you. What is the sign on the roof of the large building to the right saying? Hotel Domt:Harirain ??? [It's "The Pontch," or Hotel Pontchartrain. - Dave] No Excuse Whatsoever Washington Post, Jun 16, 1918 War Savings Stamps Boys and girls, are you buying war saving stamps to help Uncle Sam win this war? Every American should be able to answer this question with "Yes." Another question that's asked so much is, "Are we going to win this war?" This question is very foolish, but the question is, "How soon are we going to win this war?" Now this question depends entirely upon the boys and girls at home. The soldiers are doing their very best in fighting, but what they need is the backing of the money from home. The way we can do this is to buy war saving stamps. Stop and think what a little amount of money it takes to buy a war savings stamp or baby bond. It takes only 16 thrift stamps to make a war savings stamp, and only a quarter (or five nickels) to make a thrift stamp. This is only denying yourself five ice cream cones or five times to the movies. When your relations and friends leave this country to go abroad and fight, don't you want them to be fed properly, have proper clothing, and ammunition? How can you expect Uncle Sam to pay for all this? Why can't you help too? You don't give your money to Uncle Sam — you lend it to him; and every day it stays in Uncle Sam's hands it brings interest. It is just like taking your money and putting it into the richest bank in the world; and it certainly is the best thing you can do for yourself and your country. Every one of us should ask ourselves this question, "What am I doing to help win this war? What can I do?" There is something every man, woman and child can do to help Uncle Sam. If you can't go abroad and fight, or as a nurse, then you can lend your money; or in other words, if you can't go across with your friends, come "across" with the money. It is not always so easy for some to lend money as others, but there is always a way a person can get money if they haven't any. They can either wear their summer hat over again next summer, or wear their winter coat over again next winter, and take this money to buy war savings stamps, but if do not want to do this, go out and earn money in spare hours. There is no excuse whatsoever for any American not buying war saving stamps. Just think of the boys who have enlisted, gone abroad and given their lives for the sake of you and me. Do you not think it is only right for us to back them up with our money? "Do not be a miser, if you want to beat the kaiser," and there is not a man, woman or child who wants their country and homes to be ruled by the kaiser. Dear Aunt Anna: I am writing an essay on "War Savings Stamps" that I hope won't get to Granny Scrapbag. With lots of love to you and the cousins, Lovingly, PATRIOT. Ellen Buel (age 12) Herndon School, Herndon, Va. Elsewhere on Shorpy: War Saving Stamp poster Be Prepared: 1918 Another letter to Aunt Anna (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos, Stores & Markets, WWI)
The White Is King: 1908
... left of Lenin's doppelganger on the wall sign, is the West Hotel. Despite the tackiness of its peppermint-stripe facade on its lower levels, it was the destination hotel for visiting celebrities. A young Winston Churchill stayed at the West ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/25/2014 - 4:17am -

Circa 1908. "Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis." Our title comes from the sign over the White Sewing Machine Co. store. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. Hennepin Avenue todayView Larger Map Next time I walk by those old buildings I'll keep 1908 in mind. Still thereThe Masonic Temple building still survives as the Hennepin Center for the Arts, and the Lumber Exhange building survives as, well, the Lumber Exchange. SubliminalIf you look at this picture long enough, you'll see a Starbucks. Street cleaner's day off?Rarely do we see a street so flithy as this one. And not just the typical horse waste but trash in the gutter! To the WestBehind the streetcar, to the right of the Unique Theatre and to the left of Lenin's doppelganger on the wall sign, is the West Hotel. Despite the tackiness of its peppermint-stripe facade on its lower levels, it was the destination hotel for visiting celebrities. A young Winston Churchill stayed at the West during the final week of Queen Victoria's reign, when giving stirring accounts to packed houses at the Lyceum Theater (located behind the cameraman) of his exploits in the Boer War. It survived Churchill, the Republican National Convention in 1892, a fatal fire in 1906, and the Great Depression, until its demolition in 1940. Time travelerNo, not one of those oft-seen individuals who just coincidentally appear to be holding a cell phone to their ear, but a retail establishments named simply "Unique" would seem to have fallen back in time from the 2000s. +100Below is the same view from September of 2008. ChompersThe Dr. Sullivan sign with the pointing hand and painted dentures is so classic, I'm looking for Norman Rockwell. (The Gallery, DPC, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Stores & Markets, Streetcars)
Big Town: 1906
... looking west." With Grand Central Station at right and the Hotel Manhattan center stage. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/31/2022 - 11:07pm -

New York circa 1906. "42nd Street at Park Avenue, looking west." With Grand Central Station at right and the Hotel Manhattan center stage. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. Drugs are where the money is!Nothing has changed -- every vintage picture I see from a cityscape in the early 20th century has at least one sign that says "Drugs". What's in a name?It really WAS "Grand Central Station" in 1905. Before that, Grand Central Depot. After 1910 and still: Grand Central Terminal. As a transit complex, though, just "Grand Central." Fallen EaglesThis variation of Grand Central had quite a few of those eagles we see here perched above the corner of 42nd and Vanderbilt, and today two remain at the site: One over the Grand Central Market entrance on Lexington Avenue, and one about five stories below its perch in the photo, still lording over the corner of 42nd and Vanderbilt. The eagles join then-new Times Building down the street as the only things I see that still exist here 115 years later. Citizen CaneAt least two that I see. It never ceases to amaze when you see men with canes in this era. And not for stability it seems, as verified by the gentleman lighting up on the corner. Look OutJ-walking. New york's favourite pastime for over 150 years. Horses being phased out?The year 1905 was right at the beginning of the auto age. The reality is, horses in New York City -- and by the 1880s there were over 100,000 of them in the city -- created quite a sanitary challenge. The average horse produced 22 pounds of manure a day plus a quart of urine. (You can't housebreak a horse, by the way.) I recently attended a presentation about Manhattan history by author Kurt Schlichting. He said, when he sees these street scene photos from one hundred plus years ago, he often thinks: "Wonder what it smelled like?" (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Streetcars)
Hi Mom: 1949
... Electric 555 PBX. There's a working one installed at the Hotel Congress in Tucson, if you want to experience it firsthand. Classic ... 
 
Posted by LorenzoB - 08/25/2012 - 12:30pm -

Anchor Insurance Co. in Los Angeles circa 1949. My parents met here -- Mom is on the right just behind the gent in the dark coat. View full size. Grey suits?They're only grey because it's a black and white photo! As a colouriser I would definitely be looking at doing some of them as tones of brown or blue as well as black and grey (50 shades of probably) - particularly Mr Tweedy at the left front. Sense of CommunityAh, the days before we were all walled off into little cubes. SwitchboardThat's a Western Electric 555 PBX. There's a working one installed at the Hotel Congress in Tucson, if you want to experience it firsthand. Classic Office SceneThe pushbutton flip-top address book on the switchboard cabinet looks like a prop out of Mad Men. When I think of Insurance Offices of this eraI have a much different impression of what they looked like. I notice the gent in the dark coat is using a Dictaphone device, confessing something perhaps? Niche MarketHow much does it cost to insure an anchor anyway? Search EngineThose big binders were the way you Googled something you needed to know. The Men In The Grey Flannel SuitsWell probably not flannel, but still it makes it very easy to find LorenzoB's mom when the "landmark" is the only man in the whole office wearing a black (or navy) jacket while every other man is in fashionable grey. Working womenPlenty of working women in this office in 1949. Proves the perception that it's a modern thing wrong. My Momworked for the Maryland Casualty Company on the tenth floor of the Frank Leu building in Montgomery Alabama. As I was born in 1946 her office was a little later than this one. She had a wooden desk with a foldup typewriter. You would pull on the front of the desk and the typewriter would come up and the top went into the desk. I remember playing with the Dicktaphone disks when I would visit her at work. They were the first true "Floppy disks". About the size of a 45 rpm phonograph record but about the thickness of a real floppy. Innocent times. FlashbackWhen I first started working in an office in 1979, it looked very much like this. Rows and rows of desks - pre-cubicle days for sure. This was back in the days when we referred to our superiors and co-workers as Mr., Mrs. or Miss and whatever their last name was. We still had to wear dresses and skirts with HOSE for sure! For "Flashback"It's hard to believe our first days in an office in 1979 was closer in time to this picture than to today. First 555 PBXWestern's first 555 was installed in 1952. This model had manual extensions. The 556 was created for businesses with dial extensions. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Shirt Week: 1926
... the name came from their first store in the Raleigh Hotel. Au Courant Those dress shirts look like they could be in a store ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/09/2012 - 1:17pm -

November 1926. Washington, D.C. "Raleigh Haberdasher window, 1310 F Street." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Been There, Bought the ShirtWell, a Manhattan shirt at least. In 1968, I worked in the National Press Club Building just down the block. It still looked the same then. The interior was all stained wood and beveled glass mirrors. It was jaw-dropping. I managed to buy a few things on my college student budget. Incidentally, the name came from their first store in the Raleigh Hotel. Au CourantThose dress shirts look like they could be in a store today. I even like the ties! Still hip after 85 yearsLooks like you could put those shirts and ties on today and look as if yo just picked them up at Armani. Albeit the hipster doofuses wouldn't think so with their skinny ties, skinny jeans, and skinny lapels. A smoking jacket!I watched movies and men would come home from the office, take off their suitcoats, put on a smoking jacket, and light up a cigarette. It was pretty cool, but I always wondered why. I also wonder if Stetson changed its trademark when WW II came around. Polly EstherThis great picture was made when mostly natural fabrics were used for clothing and I believe the only natural fabrics were made from cotton, silk, wool and linen. (Leather is not really a fabric). Rayon and nylon were in the experimental stage, probably not in wide usage, so these beautiful detailed shirts, finely crafted hats, robes, ascots, ties and suits were likely quite costly. Since this was three years before the big stock market crash and depression, some people were relatively prosperous. I watched the PBS six hour "Prohibition" series this week and I see the resemblance in the styles and quality of the clothing (especially the gangsters' sharp tastes in fashions). This era may have been the peak of the well-heeled gentlemen of the roaring 20's like F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) and the sharpest dresser ever, Mr. Duke Ellington. Beautiful vintage clothing here. Alas, poor RaleighI knew thee well. Raleigh Haberdasher was another of my late mother's favorite shopping destinations for upscale clothing but it, too, has gone the way of other Washington department stores. I think she bought my father's dress shirts there (white, no colors or stripes, per order of J. Edgar Hoover). But, I must say, those ties are just plain ugly. Nice ties!Those ties would look hip and stylish even today. I can't tell their color, but the pattern is spiffy, especially the three with circles. SighI miss the Raleigh's in Chevy Chase; now a restaurant, or at least it was the last time I was in the neighborhood. Things change so fast these days. Great service and they made it a point of keeping up with your requirements so they knew what to suggest to fit your profile. A class act. Freestanding store display windows-So classy and evocative of the period's commercial architecture. In San Diego, Universal Boot Shop on Fifth Avenue had a stylish art deco one just south of Broadway until about the early 1990s. The shoe store building's extant; I'll have to drive past sometime and see if their window display case is too, now that the original shop has closed. Shops like those always reminded me of the spectacular L.A. establishments like the Bullock's Wishire store along the Miracle Mile, where the some of ladies who looked like movie stars picking out neckties quite possible were. Shirts and Hats.I wore Manhattan shirts for many a year. Very comfortable and lasted a long time. Stetson, still have a couple of hats that I wear. A fedora that belonged to my Dad and my regulation cowboy hat. After all, I do have a steer in the back pasture! The finery of yesteryearThe days when service was expected and delivered. Where did that concept go except for where the elite are concerned? More on the store's history here. And some of its clothes are still around: Coat on eBay. And a tie. Brands and stylesIt is 1926 and several brands of men's clothing are recognizable. Manhattan Dhirts were quality apparel and existed into the 1970s. I haven't seen this brand for years now. The venerable Hart, Schaffner & Marx clothing continues to survive (and be produced in the USA). The shirts in the frontal display case show the emerging trend in shirt collars: those on the left have stiff attached collars, while those on the right show the newer sewn-in collars that would dominate shirt construction. Not much has changed with respect to ties; just back and forth on the width. Am I reading the window correctly -- Stetson "Shoes"? [The Stetson "SS" shoestika! - Dave] (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Anna Q. Nilsson, Silent Film Star
... San Francisco. We have a building that was originally a hotel where legend has it that Ten Nights in a Bar Room and Half Dollar Bill ... 
 
Posted by Joe - 09/22/2011 - 11:45pm -

Anna Quirentia Nilsson (1888–1974), a Swedish born actress who achieved great success in American silent movies. View full size. HI, I am related to Anna Q.HI, I am related to Anna Q. Nilsson and just found this! Lisa (living in Jarrow, England. My grandfather was Swedish and related to her.) Lisa - Re: Anna QLisa .. If you would like to have this photo contact me at joe@deadfred.com . Only charge is postage/ Joe DeadFred.com http://www.deadfred.com Relationship to Anna Q.I wonder if the late Harry Nilsson of Pop/Rock fame was any relationship too?Just curious about his past family history too. No RelationI doubt She's related to Harry or Brigit. Nilsson is a fairly common Swedish name. IMDB bio. Silent Films with Anna Q. NilssonI live in Visitacion Valley which is a neighborhod in San Francisco. We have a building that was originally a hotel where legend has it that Ten Nights in a Bar Room and Half Dollar Bill were filmed with the star Anna Q. Nilsson. We were wondering how we can try to verify this? Also, another neighborhood nearby is called Little Hollywood and legend has it that the "stars" would take the train to SF and stay in a house that Buster Keaton owned here...this would have to be the mid-late 20's. Do you know we could research this? A small group of local history people want to start an Anna Q. Nilsson fan club...and need more info...Thanks, Edie Anna QA Swedish journalist has recently finished the first biography of the silent movie star Anna Q. Nilsson. It is in Swedish but rumor has it that it has lots of photos and letters. I am trying to get hold of a copy and should have it soon. P-O Anna Q NilssonI'm a Swede myself from San Diego. There is a biography about Anna from last year, but sorry, it's in Swedish. How are you related to her? Anna Q biographyI've written a biography of Anna Q. Nilsson in Swedish (2007) and am working on the English version. I'd love to hear from future readers of the book and anyone else interested in silent film stars. Per Sjöberg Buster and AnnaThe Buster Keaton/Anna Q. Nilsson link speculated on in the earlier comment recalls the real-life one in which they portrayed two of Norma Desmond's "waxworks," her forgotten film star guests in the amusing card-party scene in 1950's Sunset Boulevard. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Movies)
Fayetteville at Five: 1941
... the buildings are still there but heavily renovated. The Hotel Lafayette is long gone, The Prince Charles is still there and is ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/04/2021 - 1:13pm -

March 1941. "Traffic on the main street of Fayetteville, North Carolina, at about five o'clock, when the workers start coming out of Fort Bragg." Photo by Jack Delano. View full size. What's he standing on?Is what he's standing on still there? [Planet Earth? Last we checked, yes. - Dave] Twist of FayettevilleThere have been a lot of changes in downtown Fayetteville. This looks approximately right - Rayless department store was at 200 Hay St. There is no more parking, and the street has been narrowed with many trees planted. I can spot at least 3 surviving buildings on the right, including the old McFadyen Music. It looks like the original photo was taken from the balcony of the Market House. You can see it in street view if you swivel 180 degrees. Is that a Lincoln?The fifth car back on the left, the light-colored one. I need help from the Shorpy auto buffs. I have lived here since the 70sYes, he will have been standing on the west balcony of the Market House, it was recently in the news due to an attempted arson during the riots last summer. The debate is still open as to what should be done with it, tear it down, move it, or? I remember many of the buildings in the picture, many started going away by the late 70s and early 80s as the downtown area fell apart and shopping moved out to the malls. Quite a few of the buildings are still there but heavily renovated. The Hotel Lafayette is long gone, The Prince Charles is still there and is currently housing rental condos and small businesses. Downtown has come, gone, and come again. My guess is ChryslerI'm thinking this is a 41 Chrysler Series 30 Eight 5th car on leftI don't believe so. The Continental had a different trunk lid and rubber mudguard on the front of the rear fender, and the Zephyr rear was more sloped. Could be wrong though. 5 p.m. Fort Bragg exodus?I lived on Fort Bragg when my dad was stationed there in the early '60s and it's highly unlikely any end-of-the-day traffic from the post would be noticed in downtown Fayetteville 13 miles away. [Fayetteville was home to thousands of construction workers engaged in a massive wartime expansion of Fort Bragg -- the reason this series of photos was made. - Dave] No, it's not a LincolnThe shape of the rear fender, the three horizontal ribs, and the location of the filler cap leave no room for guessing – it's a 1941 Plymouth P12 Special Deluxe. McFayden MusicI was a little surprised to find out that McFayden Music is still in business, though now they are in Greenville, according to their website! Fayetteville Street LifeI suppose the trees planted along the sidewalk in present-day Fayetteville are nice, and I know there is an anti-automobile sentiment in many towns, large and small, that results in limited street parking, narrower roads, bike lanes, pedestrian priority rights-of-way, etc. But I can't help but notice the vibrancy of street life in Fayetteville back in 1941. The streets are lined with shops, and there is exuberant signage everywhere. There are actual pedestrians - shoppers, workers, people running errands - walking on the sidewalks. The street is bustling with traffic. Today? It looks kind of quiet and desolate - although I bet the local shopping mall and the Wal-Mart and the Home Depot out by the Interstate are full of consumers. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Jack Delano, Stores & Markets)
Deaf Delegation: 1926
... as it was demolished, the Occidental and the Willard Hotel have made a comeback: ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 10:14pm -

August 10, 1926. Washington, D.C. "National Association of the Deaf." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. The Occidental is still thereWhile not in the same building as it was demolished, the Occidental and the Willard Hotel have made a comeback: http://www.occidentaldc.com/occidental/index.cfm/about-us/occidental-his... You can still have a great dinner there. Re: My motherI dunno -- This chick is actually pretty darn cute: Show me your ...Terrific Smiles!! Aren't they great? Every one of these ladies has such a great and genuine smile on her face that I just had to smile back at them all. I never knew a Shorpy Photo could make me so happy and nostalgic. Great SubtletyWhat a great, shadowy shot of the Capitol building in the mist down the street (I only noticed it in the Full Size shot). I've been reading this blog since there were only about 10 pages of photos back and now we're in the 600s?! Amazing. SupportConsidering the year, these women had to come from some great families. Usually, handicapped people of that generation were limited in what they were allowed to do, they were basically "swept under the rug". It was only six years earlier that all women, disabled or not, were allowed to vote. Hey, it's the Occidental Restaurant sign!Here's another example of that Occidental Restaurant sign that ends up in a number of pre-WWII DC photos you've posted here. My motherwould have called most of these girls "plain." She had a very forgiving spirit. Deaf WomenMy great-grandmother, Alto Lowman Kavanaugh, was the first woman to graduate from Gallaudet, the national college for the deaf in D.C., in 1896. Alto, bless her memory, helped open the door for these young women, and we're very proud to claim her as an ancestor. Treasury PerchAt first it looked they these lovely women were perched up on the roof of the Treasury building, but it appears they are at pretty much ground level, as you can see from the picture below. Also... do you notice that they all have the same hairstyle? You can see how different hair behaves, but basically it's the same cut for all of them. I love these photos that show the clothing and styles of the period. I could spend hours examining every detail of every woman's dress here. Further informationThere's a very interesting PBS documentary available through Netflix (and maybe other online services) called "Through Deaf Eyes" that examines the history of deafness in America with regard to education, etc. I recommend it for anyone curious about the subject. Treasury BalconyI am fairly sure that the picture was taken on the Treasury department balcony. My mother worked for the Treasury Department and we sat there to watch the Nixon Inaugural Parade, right down Pennsylvania in front of us, then turning that corner to the left, to be in front of the Old Ebbit Grill and around the corner to the White House. (The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo)
Fifteenth and F: 1921
... Piano These days, the building on the left is the Hotel Washington I think. It's been up and down, and is undergoing renovation ... Washington Stereo (or HiFi) Show, with exhibitors in the hotel rooms of the first couple of floors. It was in one of those that I got ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2012 - 3:35pm -

Washington, D.C. "Jordan Piano Co." 15th and F Streets NW at the Treasury building. The LOC date range here is "1920 or 1921." Who can date the Saturday Evening Post cover? National Photo Company glass negative. View full size. Jordan Piano?According to advertisements in the Washington Post, The Arthur Jordan Piano Co. was located at 13th and G streets (1239 G NW). [Labels on National Photo's glass negatives are often (even usually) the name of the client. Not necessarily what's in the picture. - Dave] SEP coverMaybe this one? [Bingo. January 8, 1921. Thanks! - Dave] I found it!The Saturday Evening Post cover in the photo appears to be from January 8th 1921. It's one of the many illustrations of women by Neysa McMein. I don't know how to paste images here but here's the site where I found it. http://www.curtispublishing.com/other-artists/html/McMein1.html Saggy & RattyThat phrase from the commentary of sjmills made me laugh out loud...it would be a perfect name for our group of ancient mallwalkers who congregate daily at the local mall and lumber around like the undead from a zombie movie in order to tell our doctors "yes, we exercise every day." I must say you certainly have brilliant researchers and astutely observant commentaries from your Shorpy fans, they are obviously on a much higher intelligence level than other message boards. Thanks for the memories. Looks ModernEverything about this photo comes off as looking like something taken today. The perspective looks forced, the lighting harsh and unnatural, the depth of field infinitely huge, even the composition. It's one of my favorites so far - much better than saggy boobs and ratty hair. [Behind the camera is another D.C. landmark, the Old Ebbitt Grill. - Dave] Saggy & Ratty IIThis is indeed a great photo, and tracking down the SEP cover is one of the great things about the internet. But please don't interpret sjmills's comment as speaking for your readership at large. It was the flapper portraits that first drew me to Shorpy, and I hope you continue with them. Remember that to a society accustomed to corseted Gibson Girls, saggy boobs and ratty hair meant raw, unbridled sexuality. And now, time for a joke: Ernest: Say, Bill, would you date a flapper? Billy: I would, Ern, but you know I don't call them flappers. I call them "bungalows." Ernest: Bungalows!? Why's that? Billy: Because they're painted in the front, shingled in the back, and they got no entry! -- Billy Jones & Ernest Hare, "The Interwoven Pair." Why, is that an eye in the sky?What is on the roof of the building on the right? Has the silhouette of a video camera. [Probably not a video camera. - Dave] Jordan PianoJordan Piano has, through several mutations, turned into Jordan Kitt's Music, the oldest music retailer in the DC area. They still sell pianos. SEP coverNeat little treasure hunt. That January cover date matches the bare trees in the background as well. Beautiful photos, great site. Thanks! re: Jordan PianoThese days, the building on the left is the Hotel Washington I think. It's been up and down, and is undergoing renovation now. Back when it was at its low ebb, it was the site of the Washington Stereo (or HiFi) Show, with exhibitors in the hotel rooms of the first couple of floors. It was in one of those that I got my first look at a CD player, priced at something like $1000. +95Below is the same view from May of 2016. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)
Dr. Vedder: 1894
... of the Revolution. It is currently the site of the Hilton hotel, but the short wall in front is still there, retained as an historical ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/20/2012 - 10:22am -

St. Augustine, Florida, circa 1894. "Treasury Street." Dry plate glass negative by William Henry Jackson, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Treasury StreetDoesn't the sign underneath the "Dr." say Bay Street - or is that alleyway Bay? [The "alleyway" is Treasury Street -- the subject of the photo. - Dave] Wilson's PrideOne of the great picket fences ever! Wonderful! Great marketingGotta love that sign. Dr. Vedder will make you better. Augustine, here I comeHave seen now several pictures of Augustine. I believe I should have been born there and not in in the wet-feet country Holland. Clean alleyObviously, the posts at each end kept vehicles (horse-drawn at that time) from traveling down the alley. No back door deliveries on this segment of Treasury St. Also no horse manure on the cobblestones. If men didn't pee there (forgive me, I have lived in a third-world country), it was not a bad-smelling place. The alley has a slight V-shape, so water drained to the center and may have flowed ... somewhere. A finger of the ocean was a very short distance away, if today's Treasury Street is still in its 1890s location. Clean alleys are coming back in style. They are an important pedestrian-friendly component of "New Urbanism" neighborhoods. Other elements of New Urbanism include front porches, neighborhood stores, sidewalks, parks, common areas, and smaller lots -- much like an average middle-class 1890s neighborhood. Dens of AlligatorsDr. John J. Vedder (1819-1899), seen here, was a wealthy retired dentist and business investor from Schenectady, New York, with a passion for the natural history and fauna of Florida. He transformed his residence into a private museum, Vedder's Genuine Curiosity Store, to house his displays of Florida's native species, and learned taxidermy to create his displays. His first cousin, Elihu Vedder, Jr., was the renowned American painter. Dr. Vedder eventually sold his museum to the St. Augustine Historical Society, its first home. Here is an 1886 advertisement for Dr. Vedder's museum. AmazingThis is, by far, the most amazing photo I've seen on Shorpy yet. It has a time-machine quality to it; you can almost feel what it would have been like to stand there with the good doctor. The image also has a sense of movement - when you look at the gentleman in the distance at the other end of the alley, who is strolling down the street. I'm left wondering, though, what the sign leaning against Dr. Vedder's 1st floor window says. ["Oceanic Sun Fish." - Dave] LoveThis is the kind of photo I get lost in. Wonderful. I love you Shorpy's. Family member hereI am a great-great-great grandson of Dr. John Vedder. I have seen several photos of him but this is by far the clearest. There is a similar photograph in the Rollins College Archives. You can read all you care to know about the Vedder Museum here: http://freepages.family.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wabnoles/veddermuseum.htm... Curlicues and flourishesIt's always fascinating to see how commercial signage styles change. One thing you would never expect to see any more is the decorative detail in the D, and that thingy dangling from the V. A Great TownAn amazing photograph with the kind of clarity that glass plate negatives could give. Dr. Vedders' building was originally the Panton and Lesley office, built during the 1770s British period. They were the licensed Indian traders at the time of the Revolution. It is currently the site of the Hilton hotel, but the short wall in front is still there, retained as an historical artifact, as is Treasury Street itself, touted for years as the country's narrowest thouroughfare. Bay Street is now Castillo Drive, but is still commonly called the Bayfront. It's a great place to visit! (The Gallery, DPC, Florida, W.H. Jackson)
R.F.K., R.I.P.: 1968
... In the '80s, my dad worked next door to the Ambassador Hotel, where RFK was shot. I remember him taking me there and showing me the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/13/2013 - 8:54pm -

June 8, 1968. "Funeral cortege of Robert F. Kennedy." Thousands of people lined the tracks as the train carrying RFK's casket made the eight-hour journey from his funeral in New York to Washington, D.C. 35mm Kodachrome transparency. From photos by Paul Fusco and Thomas Koeniges for Look magazine. View full size. CurlersThat was a common thing, to go out before your curls had set, and the butt of not a few jokes. Nobody does that anymore. Do they even still make curlers? In the '80s, my dad worked next door to the Ambassador Hotel, where RFK was shot. I remember him taking me there and showing me the exact spot. A further tragedyAs the funeral train approached Elizabeth, New Jersey, two people who were standing on an adjacent track to get a view of the funeral train were fatally struck by another train. Two SidesWonder what the people looked like on the other side of the tracks. Photographed From?Was this taken from the moving train, or from across the tracks? Something Happening HereFusco's photos from the RFK funeral train (published in book form for the first time a few years ago) present a deeply moving group portrait of a specific instant in American history. You feel all of the country is on display, united, fleetingly, in confusion and grief. The blurred backgrounds, which contribute so much to the sense of the world unfurling outside the train window, were the unwanted but inescapable result of the ASA 25 film he was using. Between this post and the previous two, there's a James Ellroy novel in the making. Re: Photographed From?Definitely from the moving train. As Hackensacker commented on the slow 35mm film, the blurred background is a result of the photographer panning the shot to keep the mid-ground people fixed in the frame. You can see a lesser degree of lateral blurring in the foreground foliage, as well. Time warpI thought Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. [Yes. -tterrace] On display to the world "You feel all of the country is on display..." Yes. When RFK was killed, my parents were stationed by the Foreign Service in Europe; we were in a restaurant in England right after we found out about the shooting, and there was a strong buzz of comments on the order of "These Americans shooting everyone who matters." The comments were genuinely aghast and puzzled, not mean spirited, but we were for sure on display to the world. Martin Luther King had just been shot at a moment when his fame and importance were growing overseas, and I had just been in a rather small "race riot" of demonstrations after his shooting; not a real riot, but exciting and disturbing stuff in my college town of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. As with JFK in 1960, RFK and MLK were overwhelmingly popular overseas, far more so than in there own country. I felt like a citizen of a surreal pariah nation that summer. Three KennedysMr. WMtraveler. You are correct, but not totally right. There were three Kennedy Brothers, John (Jack), Robert (Bobby) and Edward (Teddy). Two of them were assassinated, John in 1963 and Robert in 1968. [There were four Kennedy brothers. -tterrace] Final, 60's version of a tradition?What a wonderful photo of the last gasp of funeral trains and of public observance of such grief. Very 60's. Can't recall any major public funeral trains after this one. Elizabeth, NJ AccidentI was there. The crowd was so large I climbed a fence with a pole alongside. Stood on top of the fence with one arm around the pole, the other holding my camera. Platforms were ground level and the crowd moved onto the tracks to get a view of the special train. "The Admiral",an express train heading to New York City from Chicago came around the curve just south of the station. "The Admiral's" GG1 locomotive sounded its horn,a long loud blast, but some of the people in the crowd did not clear the track in time and sadly two were killed and four seriously injured. After the tragic accident the Penn Central ordered all train movement stopped until the special train passed. The funeral train arrived in Washington's Union Station four hours behind schedule and had caused disruption to the entire railroad. RFK funeral trainDear all, (and AndyB who posted on 05/16/2013) can you please contact me? I would love to get in touch with bystanders of their relatives, who stood alongside the tracks and made photos or films of the funeral train of Robert F. Kennedy. As a Dutch photographer and teacher I am doing research on photography and memory. Even though I do work and live in the Netherlands, I sense that this event will still arouse vivid memories in the minds of many Americans. The images I am looking for don't have to be perfect, any visual material is welcome. I will gladly credit your photos and films wherever they’re used and I can compensate the potential expenses you need to make in digitizing the pictures. If you wish to learn more about my call, please, let me know. Thank you very much in advance for any kind of assistance! Yours faithfully, Rein Jelle Terpstra mail@reinjelleterpstra.nl (LOOK, Railroads)
Grand Hotels: 1908
... !! Not in height -- it was purportedly the tallest hotel in the world when it opened -- but rather duration: if you were told one ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/01/2022 - 5:52pm -

New York circa 1908. "Murray Hill and Belmont Hotels, Park Avenue." The old Grand Central Station in the distance. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Random BalconiesI am always puzzled by what we often see in pictures of tall-for-the-era buildings in this era: seemingly randomly-placed stone or concrete balconies with no obvious location pattern on various floors in various places along the facade. Were they actually functional or merely decoration? Hey shorty !!Not in height -- it was purportedly the tallest hotel in the world when it opened -- but rather duration: if you were told one of these hotels would be landfill in about twenty years, I think few would guess it would be the Belmont. Such could be the pace of change in New York (though not always: the Murray Hill both preceded and outlasted it by decades). The Belmont - and its many, unreasoned balconies - had been well covered in the architectural press. The Finished ProductIt's always interesting to see how the Detroit Publishing postcard turned out! The critic agreedA critic for Architectural Record in 1906 agreed with Greg B. about the balconies. I've highlighted next to the comment in his review. At the beginning of the second paragraph, the critic also said the architects, Warren and Wetmore "have made no attempt to solve the skyscraper problem." There was a lot written around this time about the skyscraper problem. I believe the problem was how to make these new, large, flat surfaces on skyscrapers attractive. Minimalism was not yet an option. Every respectable household had one --Note the piano mover, with two rather young assistants. Will they get up and play it?Judging by the shape of the cover, I'll bet that teamster is hauling a piano on his wagon, in addition to the two stowaways! (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Railroads)
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